Top 20 firm joins London flight with Liverpool office

Top 20 firm Taylor Wessing has become the latest legal business to relocate services outside of London, after announcing the opening of a new Liverpool office.

The office will open in September, initially with a small number of new legal service roles as well as operational support. However the firm is open to more services moving to the city.

It is proposed the firm will also move its business acceptance team out of London, as it seeks to reshape service delivery and meet changing client needs. It has not been disclosed how many staff are relocating or how many jobs will be created.

In a statement published today, Taylor Wessing said Liverpool was an ideal location for attracting talent and supporting long-term career development, with a high volume of experienced people and excellent universities. The new office will provide a ‘vibrant work environment and a catalyst for the development of new working practices’.

Tim Eyles

Managing partner Tim Eyles, said: 'This is about providing a catalyst for long-term reinvention to continue to deliver a better service, being smart with our resources and continuing to invest in more people – we will need them. Liverpool is a vibrant city that, like Taylor Wessing, provides an environment which enables creativity to thrive.’

The firm worked closely with the mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, and lobby group Invest Liverpool when deciding on a location for transferring operations.

The new office reflects a wider trend of firms seeking modern offices outside of London and relocating in UK cities. This expanded footprint has in recent years included Clyde & Co occupying 69,000 sq ft in Manchester, Simmons & Simmons moving into Bristol offices and Hogan Lovells expanding its presence in Birmingham.

Earlier this year, property consultancy Knight Frank said firms’ search for ‘flexibility and access to talent’ was driving them to look outside the Square Mile, even though activity in London was still strong.